Best Friends

"Hiya Brandi."

"Carey, have you talked to Jay recently?" She sounded concerned.

"I was just about to call him as a matter of fact."

"I've been trying to call him for the past two days and I get no answer and Susie told me he didn't show up at work today."

An alarm bell went off I the back of my head. "I can't get ahold of Lizzy either," I told her. "I was going to ask Jay to drive by and check on her."

"Where are you Carey?"

"I'm stuck in glorious Fairbanks Alaska until tomorrow. Wait. You said Susie told you Jay didn't show at work, is he not at home?"

"I don't know. I'm in Baltimore right now and am supposed to be here until Friday, but with the chance that Kate could hit Houston my boss set me up to fly to Denver tomorrow to ride the storm out."

"Denver? Why not fly you home?"

"He said the airports are threatening to close. He wants me off of the eastern seaboard in case the storm heads that way. He figured Denver would be as safe as anywhere."

An icy chill ran down my spine as the possibility of not being able to make it home hit me. I couldn't get ahold of Lizzy, and Brandi couldn't find Jay. For a brief second I wondered if Jay and Lizzy were together. I immediately pushed it out of my head.

Lizzy and I had a great marriage and a stupefying sex life. Neither of us was ever left wanting after a love making session. And Jay fears me. Jay has seen my temper flare. He has seen me fight, many times because of him. I doubt Jay would want to be on the receiving end of my fury. I didn't worry because Jay and I were always closer than brothers.

"I am supposed to fly out of here in the morning," I told Brandi. "I'll call you as soon as I know something, provided I make it home."

"Good luck Carey, and thank you."

We said our "love ya's" and our good byes. I turned on The Weather Channel and watched as a gorgeous reporter did her bit from the pleasure pier amusement center in Galveston. She said that evacuations were under way as a precaution, but weren't mandatory yet.

I took a nap from 8:00 'til 11:00. I got up and showered and packed my bag. I drove my rental car to the airport at midnight and checked in for my flight home. I was grumpy and getting grumpier by the minute as the TSA asshole gave me the business.

Finally at 1:35 in the morning the plane lifted off and I bid Alaska adieu. I did plan on going back someday just to fish, and take in the natural beauty of the place. I went to sleep and dreamed of making love to Lizzy on a grass covered riverbank, between bouts with the salmon in the crystal blue river.

My dreams of salmon and sex were disrupted by the chiming of the cabin bells, followed by the tinny voice of our fearless captain.

"Folks we are now approaching Seattle the local time is five forty five. The weather is calm and cool at 68 degrees and the sky is clear."

He thanked us for choosing their brand and bade us a good stay in Seattle. I hoped my stay in Seattle was no longer than the three hour layover my itinerary had spelled out for me.

A quick check with the agent at the gate assured me that for the time being all flights to Houston were still on time and operational, but she advised me to keep an ear open for alerts as the weather was deteriorating rapidly.

I went to an airport lounge and had a coffee laced with Irish whiskey. In an airport no one seems to give a shit if you hit the booze before most people are even out of bed. I had three hours to kill so I figured that the lounge would be as good a place as any. Usually I like to sit at the gate and watch the activity on the tarmac, but today I wanted to hang out and watch TV.

On one TV there was a weather reporter getting lashed by wind and driven rain as he screamed into the microphone about seeing damage all around him. After a few minutes they revealed that he was in Florida. The Keys and Cuba had taken a beating in the night from Kate.

I tried calling both Lizzy and Jay and got no answer on either line. I called into Jay's office and told him to call me ASAHFP, As Soon as Absolutely Humanly Fucking Possible. I even called Loren's office and left him the same message.

Loren called half an hour later and told me that they were closing the plant that afternoon until the storm was past. He also said that Jay had not so much as called in the past two days and he was about to face disciplinary actions. "Even managers are not immune to the no call- no show rules," he said.

When I figured that I had about forty five minutes left, I paid my tab and headed to my gate. The status board still showed Flight 7706 to Houston as on schedule. It seemed like forever before we were called to board.

I gave a sigh of relief as we were pushed back from the jet way and the captain started the engines. I had flown out of Seattle many times over the past year and I don't think I had ever seen the sun shining there. The city looked really peaceful under the early morning sun.

I napped again but woke up about an hour out of Houston. We were hitting some turbulence which was nothing unusual for this leg of the flight. Approaching Bush Intercontinental Airport I noticed heavy north bound traffic. From what I could see the south bound lanes were fairly clear.

I knew that if a mass evacuation was under way even the southbound lanes would be flowing northbound. That was decided after so many had so much trouble getting out of the way of Ike.

As we were leaving the plane, we were told that any passengers heading for Galveston needed to contact authorities before doing so. As I walked to baggage claim, I heard tales of people getting into fights over tickets for north bound flights. A few airlines were preparing to suspend operations due to empty return flights.

I collected my bag and went to the transportation level to catch a shuttle to the parking lots. Loren refused to pay for us to park in decent lots so I always claimed about half of what I paid to park. I decided this time I was claiming the full amount. What could he do? Fire me?

I tried both Lizzy and Jay again and got no answer. I called Brandi and left a voice mail that I was back in Houston and would be in touch soon. I retrieved my truck and was soon motoring along the beltway. Traffic was not as heavy as usual, and even less when I got on a highway leading south.

When I got to the streets that would lead me into Seabrook, I was stopped by a policeman. He asked me if I lived in that area. I pulled my ID and showed him.

"We're worried about looters with most of the neighborhood evacuated," he told me.

"Is there an evacuation order?"

"Not yet sir, but I am sure it will be mandatory tomorrow. Right now it's just advised."

Three cars drove by with their luggage racks loaded down and I quipped, "Looks like quite a few are following that advice."

"Yes sir. I plan on leaving as soon as my shift is over. You be careful sir."

As I drove the eight remaining blocks to my house I passed another dozen cars leaving the area. I pulled into my driveway, figuring I'd put my truck in the garage later. I noticed my neighbor Bob Sandoval putting things into a small U-Haul trailer.

"Running so soon Bob?" I yelled to him. "What happened to that Aztec spirit?"

"Howdy Mac," he called me Mac because his wife's name was Carrie, and he felt one Carrie giving him shit was enough. "Yeah I am running away man. I hope you don't need a U-Haul, cause this was the last one I could find in Harris County. I have about five more minutes and then we are headed for Austin to see if we can find a hotel."

"Hey, Bob, have you seen Lizzy in the past two days?"

"No. As a matter of fact, I haven't even seen any lights on over there. Maybe she went to her parents' house."

"Fuck me. Why didn't I think of that?"

"It's called rectal cranial inversion Mac."

"I've never heard of that one Bob."

"It results from not pulling your head out of your ass."

"Mother fucker." Bob always got me on shit like that. I was just about to say something when Carrie and their little girl Michelle came out of the house. "Hiya Me and Mini Me," I said to the ladies.

"You silly Mac," the seven year old in the pig tails said as she threw me one of her million megawatt smiles.

"Howdy Me," Carrie said. We called each other "me."

"You guys have a safe trip, and I'll see you guys in a week or so," I told Bob and Carrie.

"You too Mac," Bob said. "Are you gonna head to your grand pappy's cabin?

"That's my plan. I have to track down my prettier half first."

"Good luck and take care Mac."

I waved to them as Carrie and Michelle climbed into their Blazer and Bob went back to make sure the house was locked. I chastised myself for never thinking of Lizzy's parents. Brad and Theresa Spears had a house in the Katy area of Houston and likely out of the path of danger.

I opened my front door, and just as I stepped inside it struck me that I had not used my key. The door had been unlocked. My irritation was tempered by the fact that of my four dogs, only Lucifer had come to greet me. Ginger, King and Bubby were nowhere to be seen.

At one point in time Lizzy and I had had one dog. Lucifer thus named for his ability to get himself into trouble as a pup. Lucifer is a Boston terrier and he sticks to me like glue.

We got Bubby from some neighbors who were getting a divorce. Neither one of them ever really had time for the guy. I would always play with him from across the fence. One day when I was playing fetch with Bubby, his owner Alison came outside.

When she came marching across the yard I thought she was going to say something about me playing with her dog. "You and Bubby seem to get along pretty well," she told me.

"Yeah, I guess we do, but I have yet to meet a dog I don't get along with."

"Look. Jeff and I are selling the house, and when I move I can't take Bubby with me. It would do my heart a world of good if you would take him. Will you do that for me?"

"I won't do it for you," I said and I watched her face fall. "I will do it for him. I can't stand the thought of him going to a pound."

Half an hour later I was playing with Bubby in my own back yard. "Do they know their dog is here?" asked Lizzy when she came out to tell me it was dinner time.

"She knows anyway," I told her. I then explained why the beautiful gray and white Pit Bull was with me. She got a bit miffed that I had taken the dog without consulting her, but she understood.

"I will consult with you from now on before I adopt any more dogs," I said with two fingers in the air like a scout. If there's a place in hell for people who break scout oaths then I am headed there. I forgot to consult her when the lady who drove the taco truck offered me the German Sheppard puppy now known as King. And she was out of town when I came across the stray Rottweiler now known as Ginger.

Although she was here when I put up found posters and ran a found ad in the paper for Ginger. After a month she acquiesced and we had four dogs. Yeah the dogs eat a lot and poop a lot, but I have spent a lot of money and time training them.

The big dogs have been trained to let a stranger in to a room, but when they are in the room the dogs will block their egress until I act, Lucifer just plays a bad ass. Even Lizzy can't call them off, for some reason they don't respect her; which is something I've been planning on working on with them.

Terry accidently found out once when we were watching a game on TV. He had gone to use the bathroom. I had forgotten to call the dogs to me when he left the room. When he came out he was looking at four sets of snarling dog teeth. I laughed and called them to me, but I was assured that they would keep any trespasser trapped until I got there to deal with the situation.

As I knelt to pick up Lucifer so he could greet daddy the way he loves to, he licks my nose three times and then nuzzles my chin, I noticed Lizzy's bathrobe lying in the middle of the foyer. Before I could get alarmed I heard a whine from the top of the stairs. I looked up to see Bubby at the top of the stairs. I almost called him to me when I heard Lizzy call to me. "Carey, can you call the dogs off? They have me trapped in the guest room."

I almost did, but something stopped me and I walked up the stairs. As soon as I hit the stairs I heard the door close. I got into the hallway to find King and Ginger staring at the guest room door. I knew the dogs would never prevent Lizzy from leaving so something was awry.

When I got to the door, King whined at me. I scratched his head and then patted Ginger and Bubby.

"Why is the door closed Lizzy?"

"The dogs are scaring me," came the answer from the other side, and then I heard something else. I heard whispering.

"Open the door Lizzy." She didn't answer and I heard more whispering.

"Honey, the dogs have had me trapped here for three days. Will you take them for a walk so I can come out?"

The dogs didn't really obey her but they never treated her as an intruder. They knew she was with me. I was instantly furious because the only thing I could conclude was that there was someone in there with her who didn't belong here.

Without warning I kicked the door with all the force I had. The door flew inward and splinters from the jamb flew through the air. Luckily for Lizzy she had been standing far enough to the side that the door missed hitting her.

My best friend wasn't as lucky. The door hit Jay in the face and knocked him back three steps. I flew into a rage and rushed Jay. Between the door hitting him and me following he didn't stand a chance.

He was already reeling when my fist connected with his nose. I heard a satisfying crunch and then Jay wilted and fell. I was on top of him punching his head with every ounce of fury I could muster. When my hand began hurting I stood and began kicking him. Then a deep menacing growl followed by a deafening bark broke my trance.

I spun to see Lizzy holding heavy lamp as if to hit me with it. I looked down to see that Bubby had insinuated himself between us and had bared his teeth. King and Ginger had just come into the room with their hackles raised. Pure fear filled Lizzy's face and she dropped the lamp, it was then that I fully understood the situation.

Lizzy and Jay were both naked. Lizzy had shaved off her usual landing strip; I knew Jay preferred a woman to be completely bare. There were many dried cum stains adorning her flesh and a few love bites on her breasts.

"I have things to do," I said as evenly as I could. "I'll deal with you in a while."

"Carey, it isn't what it looks like baby. Just let me explain."

"Not what it seems? It seems to me to be an open and slut er, I mean shut case. Just fucking stay put." I contemplated kicking Jay in the head but I wanted him somewhat lucid later on. As I went out of the room I patted King and said "Guard." I didn't know when the last time was that the dogs had eaten but I figured I would make it up to them.

I went down stairs treated to the sound of Lizzy screeching at me and King growling at her until she retreated back into the guest room. Not far from where I found Lizzy's robe I found her cell phone. On the couch I found Jay's clothes and in his pant pockets I found his cell phone. I stuffed his clothes into the fireplace and contemplated lighting it.

I took both phones into the dining room and connected them to chargers. On my way out to the garage I called Brandi.

"Carey, did you get to Houston OK?"

"Yeah I'm here. I know where Jay is and he will be contacting you in a while."

"Oh thank God he's alive," she said.

"I bet you won't be so thankful in a while," I thought. "Did you make it to Denver OK?"

"Yes I did. When I got here they were starting to cancel flights to Houston."

"I'm not surprised; I think I am the only living soul in Seabrook right now. Even the criminals are fleeing."

"You be careful Carey."

"I will. I'll talk to you in a while."

I went into the garage to get my hurricane shutters and was surprised for some reason to see Brandi's Lexus parked in my side next to Lizzy's Sentra. "Chicken shit fuck can't even use his own car to run around on his wife."

My hurricane shutters consisted of half inch thick plywood that I had painted to match the color of the house. The plywood was held into place in the window sill by a set of metal clips. These clips were springy and would hold the plywood in place even if the wind managed to get under the wood somehow.

They allowed you to just push the shutter into place. It took longer to move the ladder and walk to each window than it did to install each shutter. Removal was just as easy. While pinching one of the clips, you pushed on one side of the shutter and pulled the other and twisted the shutter out. It could only be done from outside.

An hour later I had all of the shutters locked into their places on all of my windows. As I was placing the shutter on the guest room window Lizzy was trying to open the window so she could talk to me, or push me off the ladder, seeing as how she was standing over me with that lamp earlier I couldn't be sure.

I had one set of shutter locks left to board up the front door. But I had another plan for that set.

I went into the kitchen and found a package of steaks in the refrigerator. I guessed that she and Jay had been planning on eating steak to re fill their energy from all of the fucking they were doing.

I cooked all of the steak and made myself an ear of corn and a baked potato. While my steak rested, I cut the rest of the steaks into pieces and put onto four of the bone china plates that Lizzy's grandmother had given us as a wedding gift.

No one ever used the china. It sat in the china hutch and was dusted off every now and again, but Lizzy always had a fit if I suggested using it to eat off of. I also pulled out two of the sterling silver spoons from the hutch. The silver, just like the bone china was not to be used.

I took two of the plates upstairs and set one in front of King and the other in front of Ginger. "No," I said as I went back down to get the other two plates. I knew the dogs would not eat until I told them they could. I took the other two plates up and set one for Bubby and one for Lucifer.

Lizzy was standing there with a horrified look. "Are those the steaks from the refrigerator?"

"Yup. I guess I cooked y'all's after-fuck snacks. Oopsy." I said as I went back down stairs. I heard a bark and Lizzy cry out in pain. I knew she had tried to grab one of the plates and had been bitten for her effort. I grabbed the two silver spoons and two cans of Alpo.

I bought dog food in three ways. I bought cases of Alpo's large cans for the three bigger dogs, and I bought cases of Mighty Dog for Lucifer. I also bought fifty pound bags of dry food to keep all four fed.

I opened the Alpo and stuck the spoons into the top of the cans. I grabbed a jug of purified water from the counter top and went upstairs again. Four dogs stood in front of four steak filled plates watching me intently. Lizzy sat on the bed wrapped in a curtain she'd torn down from the window. She was rubbing an area on her arm. I didn't see blood so I knew she'd gotten a warning from the dog.

I was glad we kept no clothes in the guest room. With the dogs not allowing Lizzy and Jay to leave that room they were unable to try to hide what they'd been up to. Her eyes widened when she saw her fine silver in the dog food cans.

I set the cans on the floor along with the water. "I figured you fuckers would be hungry so I brought you some food. Eat up cause after dinner we're gonna have a "come to Jesus" meeting."

"You can't be serious. You're holding us prisoner, you assaulted Jay, and you're feeding me dog food. I deserve better than this Carey."